Minecraft Review
Kid Safe: Very High (9.5 / 10) Game Quality: High (8.0 / 10)
Genre: Open World Creative
-
As an Open World Creative title,
players are immersed in a large, open environment that they are able to explore
and make their own. They are able to use a number of items in-game to create
absolutely anything in their imagination. I like to compare the title to being
in a virtual Lego world.
Internet Requirements: None to Very
High
-
The internet requirements of this
title are very heavily dependent on what video game system you are playing it
on and how you want to play. If you are playing on a PC / Computer, you must
have internet in order to download the game as well as any additional content
you might wish to have. If you are playing on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation
3, or PlayStation 4, you can purchase a retail copy of the disc or purchase and
download it via the online store for your respective system; however any
additional content must be purchased online for either version of the game.
Players can also play the game single player offline without needing an
internet connection, however we encourage players to enjoy this open world
together via the internet, as more hands and minds build many fun things.
Story Summary:
-
To the best that we've ever
identified, Minecraft does not have a single specific story. The game, instead,
encourages creativity and the creation of your own legacy. Stranded on a desert
beach in a vast world with nothing but your own two hands and your creativity,
what will you do...?
Kid Safe: Very
High (9.5 / 10)
-
Foul
Language: None
o
Minecraft does not contain any
observable usage of foul language. Players, characters, monsters, and creatures
in-game do not speak but instead make very grunts, groans, and other
non-lingual sounds.
o
Special
Note: While playing online, players have
a chat option available to them. Use discretion while letting your player
online as they are able to send and receive foul language via the chat
function.
-
Violence
and Gore: Very Low
o
Minecraft contains a very limited
amount of violence and no observable amounts of blood or gore. During the game,
monsters like Zombies and Skeletons will come out at nighttime in order to
attack the player if they are not sheltered from the elements. Players can
defend themselves using crafted weapons such as swords or bow and arrows. When
a player attacks these monsters, it's almost comparable to a Nerf baseball bat.
The monster will essentially bounce off of the attack and, after several
attacks, fall over and poof into smoke. Additionally, players can use these
same weapons against non-enemies like farm animals in order to harvest meat for
food. In the same manner, the creatures will bounce backward several times
before falling over and poofing into smoke.
-
Sexually-Related
Content: None
o
Minecraft does not contain any
observable amount of sexually related content.
-
Use of
Drugs and Alcohol: None
o
Minecraft does not contain any
observable amount of drug or alcohol usage.
o
Special
Note: The PC / Computer version has a
number of third-party modifications that players are able to download and
install in order to add new items to the original version of Minecraft. While
some modifications can be fun, it should be noted that it is highly likely that
some third party's may have added drug or alcohol related items. These do not
reflect the original game design by rather the creation of a secondary
programmer.
Game Quality: High (8.0 / 10)
-
Graphics /
Visuals: Moderate
o
The Graphics and Visuals were
something we had to ponder long and hard on how to review. The game itself does
not like very graphically impressive compared to many modern-day titles that
are on the video game market. However, to the developer's credits, the look and
design is intentional, rather than from poor graphical design.
o
While the overall resolution may
look unimpressive, the game was designed to be made up of "blocks",
like virtual Legos. Whether it was the land, air, water, animals, people,
etc...everything was built with this blocky design to coincide with the game
play. It, in turn, allows players to pick up those different blocks and use
them for whatever purpose they saw fit. Whether they want to build a castle,
dig a hole, mine precious ores, fight monsters, or more, everything was created
with this unique and simple visual style to make it coalesce.
o
On a secondary note, another reason
that the game is "moderate" is because a large number of different
modifications exist for every system to change the visual appearance of the
game. The severity of the change depends entirely on the modification, however
players are able to find, purchase, and/or download programs to perhaps give it
a more realistic look, to add high texture quality, and even to change the
appearance of creatures and players. Given the wide range of possibilities, we
did not feel we could accurately represent and rate all of the options.
-
Audio: High
o
Minecraft features a simple but
enjoyable audio experience. The game has a number of gentle instrumental pieces
that play along quietly in the background of the game, filling in the quiet of
wandering a deserted world. Additionally, the game features musical cues when
players are near or around important areas such as underground
"Fortresses" that alert them just in case they weren't aware they
were near one of these treasure-troves. Monsters all have simplistic but
recognizable sounds like the Creeper's "hiss" and the Zombie's
"moan". While the game does not feature some over the top soundtrack
accompanied with AAA voice actors, the game does exactly what it meant to do:
provide simple and memorable audio to a simplistically enjoyable game design.
-
Gameplay /
Playability: High
o
Minecraft features a High level of
Gameplay and Playability that suffer only a little due to the lack of a
physical tutorial. Interestingly enough, we had to go back and do further
research regarding this because it turns out that Minecraft actually has
different WAYS to play the game depending on whether you are playing on the PC
/ Computer or on a video game console like the Xbox or PlayStation.
o
So, regarding the tutorial, the game
does exactly what we mentioned earlier: drops you on a desert island without
any instructions or ideas on how to survive. The game offers an
"Achievement" system in all versions that hint at an idea of what you
should do, however no direct instructions as to how. Discovering is half the
battle. Luckily, many people will figure out how to break apart trees and dirt
and sand in the game and use them to their advantage. However, the question is
raised "What do I do with these items?" Even better, the Xbox and
PlayStation allow players to take craftable blocks and simply craft them by
clicking on the item that they want to create. In the PC / Computer version,
however, players need to know where to place certain items on a grid interface
in order to create anything. So, sadly, Minecraft suffers from a lot of
"How the heck do I do this?"
o
On the flipside, however, that's
where the gameplay issues really stop. Once you know how to survive nighttime
(trust me, it's a big problem on the first night or two) the world is your
oyster. You are limited only by your imagination. Do you want to create a
castle? Why not. Heck, make it a floating castle in the sky. With a
rollercoaster. That goes underwater. And takes you through the underworld. And
stops at your second upside down castle. That your friend has rigged with
explosives so that when you hit the doorbell everything within 300 blocks
explodes. Again, it's pretty much a Virtual Lego world. If you can dream it,
you can do it.
-
Dollar-Value:
Very High
o
As you might have guessed,
Minecraft, due to its intense openness and availability, has an incredibly high
dollar value. Ranging between $20 to $30 dollars, players will gain an
exorbitant amount of replay-ability and fun. As we said before, the game is
only limited by your imagination. I myself clocked almost 50 hours of gameplay
just in the last week. During that time I created an underwater base with a
functional airlock that has a greeenhouse inside that lets me grow wheat IN my
underwater base. Oh, did I mention that I also had a mine where I found a
massive abandoned fortress with treasures chests full of diamonds and gold? And
that was me playing alone! So, if you have someone who likes being creative and
has a strong imagination, this game is perfect for them.
Recommendations
-
Minecraft is truly one of a kind,
however if you are looking for more creative titles, I would highly recommend a
Minecraft-inspired game called "Terraria".
